Stranger Things 2 trailer confirms a popular fan theory about the new series

Already made trick-or-treating plans? Cancel them ASAP; Stranger Things 2 is officially scheduled to hit Netflix this Halloween. And, judging by the brand-new trailer, it’s going to be even more intense than the first series.

The new promo, which aired during Super Bowl Sunday, begins with a nostalgic Eggo Waffle commercial. A tasty snack which, as long-time fans of the TV mega-hit will know already, is favoured by the mysterious Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).

It makes sense, then, that the advert cuts out to reveal a close-up on El’s terrified eyes (she’s alive, just as fans predicted!), staring out of the darkness from some upside down reality.

Set in 1984, just one year after the events of season one, it seems as if the creators have a bevy of 80s pop culture references to hurl in our general direction – including a nostalgic look at Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) dressed up as the Ghostbusters for Halloween.

Naturally, however, it won’t be all fun and games for our favourite trio; Will (Noah Schnapp) may be back from the Upside Down, but he’s still experiencing the terrifying after-effects.

You know, the usual; he’s easily distracted, he’s drawing creepy pictures in primarily black and red crayon, he’s got the US government on his back, there’s a lightning storm outside his house…

Oh, and there’s a giant spider-like monster headed his way.

Watch it for yourself below:

If you were hoping for a glimpse of Joyce (Winona Ryder), Hopper (David Arbour), Nancy (Natalia Dyer) or Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), then you’re all out of luck; this trailer is made up of nothing more than tantalising mini-glimpses at what’s to come.

And, while Shannon Purser’s ill-fated character won’t be in the new series, creators have promised that fans of the cult TV show will finally get “justice for Barb”.

Speaking to IGN, Matt Duffer said: “Barb will not be forgotten. We’ll make sure there’s some justice for Barb. People get very frustrated, understandably, that the town doesn’t seem to be really dealing with Barb. That stuff is all happening. We’re just not spending any screen time on it.”

He added: “It’s not like her parents are like ‘Oh Barb left. She died!’ Season 1 actually takes place over the course of six or seven days – it’s a really short period of time.

“So part of what we want to do with hypothetical Season 2 is to explore the repercussions of everything that happened.”

The Stranger Things kids in season one

Duffer also discussed another character’s fate, which was left pretty open-ended in Season 1. Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) was attacked by the monster, but it seems as if we haven’t seen the last of him – by a long shot.

“I would say that if we were going to kill Brenner… as an audience member watching the show, if that was his death, that would be very unsatisfying to me – when the monster jumps on him and we cut away,” said Duffer.

“He would deserve much more than that as an ending. So yes, there’s a possibility of seeing him again.”

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Ross Duffer, meanwhile, who writes the show with his brother, added that the new season will be very similar in tone to the original – albeit far more terrifying.

“We want to retain the tone, but all of our sequels feel a little different. It’s not about just taking another monster — it’s a bigger, badder monster,” he said. “We want it to feel a little bit different, a little bit darker.”

His message is loud and clear; the Demogorgon may be dead, but evil is alive and well. And it’s found a way into Hawkins…

We will get #JusticeForBarb

While the first release was only eight episodes long, Stranger Things 2 will take it up to nine episodes – giving us one more hour to enjoy than before.

Better still, each episode already has a title.

They are:

Episode 1: MadMax Episode 2: The Boy Who Came Back to Life Episode 3: The Pumpkin Patch Episode 4: The Palace Episode 5: The Storm Episode 6: The Pollywog Episode 7: The Secret Cabin Episode 8: The Brain Episode 9: The Lost Brother

They may be cryptic, but some die-hard fans have already predicted that The Boy Who Came Back To Life will focus primarily on Will (and the fact he’s been throwing up mini-monsters ever since he left the Upside Down). They’ve also suggested that Eleven is hidden in The Secret Cabin – and that Hopper is all too aware of her location.

Only time will tell, we guess. Time to hibernate until October 2017, everyone…

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Kayleigh Dray

Kayleigh Dray is editor of Stylist.co.uk, where she chases after rogue apostrophes and specialises in films, comic books, feminism and television. On a weekend, you can usually find her drinking copious amounts of tea and playing boardgames with her friends.